A historic wall at San Anton Palace, which collapsed last week, would be reconstructed and all original stonework still intact would be re-used, the head of the Restoration Directorate told Times of Malta.

Architect Norbert Gatt outlined his plan in reaction to a story published on Tuesday by the Times of Malta quoting sources saying rainwater seepage could have triggered the collapse of the wall that was about half a metre thick.

According to the same sources, a recent restoration job could be to blame, amid concerns that a number of mortar cracks that served as weep holes were sealed, thus blocking the water’s exit.

However, the Restoration Directorate, which had supervised the restoration project inaugurated last summer, dismissed this hypothesis.

A boundary wall does not require weep holes

Mr Gatt, who had not been forthcoming when Times of Malta first sought his reaction after the incident had happened, on Tuesday contacted the newspaper saying the report carried some “inaccuracies”.

Insisting he did not want to enter into the merit of what could have caused the collapse in the wake of a pending magisterial inquiry, he pointed out that the structure in question was not a retaining wall but one that served as a boundary between the palace and the public garden.

“A boundary wall, unlike a retaining wall, does not require weep holes,” Mr Gatt remarked.

“Moreover, open joints or cracks in the wall cannot and do not serve as weep holes and, therefore, the sealing of the mortar joints and/or cracks within the said wall does not lead to any structural deficiencies in the wall but protects it against the ingress of water from the elements,” he added.

He told the newspaper steps were being taken to reinstate the historic wall.

“Workers are presently sifting through all the collapsed material to select stonework that is re-usable,” Mr Gatt said.

However, he remarked that to ensure the “best quality of workmanship”, the job was being done entirely by the directorate’s “skilled personnel”.

The restoration project, which cost €103,000, had been trusted to V&M Turnkey Limited following a public call issued by the Culture Minister last year.

The company would not comment on the incident mentioning the magisterial inquiry.

Read: San Anton Palace wall collapse affected 50-metre stretch